When The Storm Hits
by Luvxx
Summary: (Takes place after 13x20) Meredith is content with her life until Nathan Riggs decides to shake things up and make her question her love life. Can Meredith resist him? Will Maggie find out? Slow-burn
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The roar of the engines makes Meredith wide awake as she straps in her seatbelt. She breathes in and out like she always does, the feeling of planes makes her stomach stir. How many times does she have to board a malfunctioning plane? She stares out her window, the sky clear as day, but what if she was just coming back to a perfect storm. She's pulled away from her thoughts when Nathan sits down beside her.

"Hey", he says

"Hi" Meredith replies

Meredith was not doing it today. The flirtatious jokes, the annoying comments, and the dumb smile he does. She was going home and home meant Maggie, Owen, and a lot of things she did not want to confront. But one thing was for sure she was never ever getting on a plane again.

"We really have to start using a different means of transportation" says Nathan trying to start a conversation.

Completely ignoring him, Meredith pushes the button multiple times to get service. Giving up on the buttons, she calls over a flight attendant.

"Hi, I'm so sorry to bother you, but do you have coffee. Anything strong works" She pleads

The flight attendant nods, slightly confused and hurries to the drink cart.

"You're going to have talk to me sometime"

"I will just not now" She snaps back

"So does that mean there will be a next time we 'talk'?" He kids

Meredith rolls her eyes and decides she can have her own dance party in her head. She pretends to sleep and put in her earbuds. Unfortunately, all she can think about was the days before the plane.

Flashback:

 _Meredith was exhausted, emotionally and physically. At least she can add "Open brain surgery while on an unsteady, rocky moving plane in non-sterile environment, successfully" onto her list of attributes. The shuttle ride was rocky and Meredith was starving. Nathan somehow convinced her to sleep in the same hotel room. The shuttle stopped at a nearby location and they got off._

 _"Where are we staying at anyway?" She asked_

 _"That's for me to know and for you to find out._

 _Nathan was calling the shots tonight_

 _A taxi drove them to a very expensive looking hotel. The sign outside had valet parking and the balconies from the outside were huge. Meredith was impressed, but not enough to let him hold her hand. Nathan opened the door for her but she got out on the other side._

 _"So is this good enough for Meredith Grey?"_

 _"It's passable" She says_

 _He smirks as they walk in. He felt wrong to be in a place where the front desk workers wore tuxes. He checked in and got a single key card._

 _"Ready to go?"_

 _Meredith shows a small smile and follows him. The elevator was empty at 2:00 am and went to the 27_ _th_ _floor, which was very high up. She follows him to the door and bites her lip. Well, like she said whatever happens, this never happened. She slides the card easily to unlock the door. The room looks big to what she usually stays at. The balcony is to the far right of the room. There's only one bed and a sofa. She immediately goes for the bathroom and is desperate to get the smell of blood off her. She quickly peeks her head out to find Nathan._

 _"This time don't follow me"_

 _He figures pressuring Meredith wasn't the greatest idea so he just sets up the sofa. Meredith comes out, her hair damp and wearing her Dartmouth tee and sweats._

 _He knew he had the biggest goody smile on his face._

 _"What? Is there something on my face?" She asks_

 _"Oh. Nothing. It's just never mind"_

 _Meredith didn't know that much about him or his time in Jordan. She never figured to ask April because she thought it was a touchy subject._

 _"So what was it like, in Jordan? I mean Owen doesn't really talk about it" She was so upfront with Nathan. She felt like she could ask him anything. Nathan wasn't the type to share anything with anyone._

 _"There was this one time. A boy 19, he..uh.. was hurt in the crossfire. Multiple GSW's to the chest. He was unconscious and nearly dead. I remember that day, I lost all of my patients that day. I felt like crap that day. I felt helpless. He was my last patient on that day. I shocked him multiple times and he kept flat lining. And I remember finding out who he was. He was from Minnesota. He liked sci-fi movies, skating, he was also graduating from college in a couple months, had a fiancé. He came to Jordan as a volunteer to help bring Medical supplies. Saw a soldier hurt and no one to help him so he ran to him himself without any protection. The soldier lived, but the boy got shot. I couldn't save him .I just thought if I were in that position with Megan."_

 _Meredith felt so sorry, but she knew saying that would only make him feel worse. So instead she just sat next to him. The silence broke when her stomach growled. He laughed and called for room service. He handed her the menu which consisted of things she did not know how to pronounce._

 _"Can you ask them if they make really good burgers and fries"_

 _He laughed and ordered what she wanted after fighting with the chef for a couple minutes. He went into the bathroom and yelled back," The door's open!"_

 _"Not coming in" she yelled back. He finally came out an hour later. His hair now flat and messy. Meredith ate her fries and she saw Nathan shirtless. His body structured and masculine. She quickly turned away however when he looked._

 _He went over to her and stole her fries._

 _"Hey!" She said taking back the fries and slapping his hand when he reached for them._

 _He turned on the TV_

 _TV: "Hello I'm Nancy Van and your watching the Weather Channel"_

 _"If your planning a getaway, sorry to your plans. Unfortunately, Seattle is currently enduring heavy rain and storms all flights to and from Seattle are cancelled until approximately 3 days._

 _We will keep you updated"_

 _"This is Nancy Van from the Weather Channel, signing out"_

 _Great just what Meredith needed 3 more days with Nathan._

 _"Looks like we're going to be here for a while, Ouch"_

 _"What?" Meredith says urgently_

 _"Sorry it's just my hand"_

 _Meredith takes his hand in hers. Yup, it was definitely swollen._

 _"I'll bandage it up again"_

 _Meredith carefully wrapped Nathan's hand._

 _"Oh I still got her phone number" He pulled out a number from the flight attendent_

 _Meredith gave him a small jab on his shoulder. She didn't know what the feeling was when he mentioned the woman shamelessly flirting with him._

 _"It's getting late" He said_

 _"I know"_

 _She just continued to sit on the sofa._

 _"I'll take the sofa and you can have the bed" He added_

 _This was a slight shock to Meredith as he usually would pounce at the chance to flirt with her._

 _Meredith walks balks to the bed slightly guilty. She didn't know why, but she just had a n urge to call him over._

 _"Nathan… if you want, you can sleep on the bed. But don't try anything funny!"_

 _He seems surprised. He walked to the other side of the bed. He faces the opposite wall. Meredith taps him on the shoulder and he immediately turns around._

 _Meredith just looks at him, like she's deciding what to do. After a moment she pauses and scoots closer to him._

 _"Wha-"_

 _"Just shut up" she says_

 ** _I love Merthan and there are few fanfics about them. So if you like it, comment or something 'cause that would be a good way to get feedback. :P_**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

 _Meredith awoke slowly and found her legs wrapped around Nathan's. Her hands on his chest. He looked so peaceful, she thought. As he stirred in his sleep she slowly took her hands off and unraveled her legs. She did not want him to wakeup with another smirk. She opened the curtains, revealing fresh sunlight. Sioux Falls wasn't exactly the dream place she would want to visit, but it would have to do. She picked up her phone and dialed her children's daycare._

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Hi, I'm Dr. Grey calling for my kids."_

 _The phone is directed to Zola._

 _"Hi ZoZo how is daycare?"_

 _"It's good, Bailey says hi!"_

 _"Ok, Mommy won't be home soon, but Aunt Maggie's going to take care of you guys. Mommy loves you very much!"_

 _"We love you too, bye!"_

 _"Bye bye ZoZo"_

 _The phone hangs up. Meredith a little sad from being away from her children, or from the fact that her children didn't. They grow up so fast. To kill time she decides to make coffee._

 _Nathan wakes up slightly disappointed when there was no one beside him. He immediately reaches for the coffee, still tired from the night before. Meredith walks into the room, hair in a messy braid and drinking a cup of coffee._

 _"Good morning" she says with a small smile_

 _"What do you want to do today?"_

 _"Room service, tequila, and terrible movies"_

 _"You don't get out much do you?"_

 _"Nope."_

 _"The few days you don't have to be a doctor you want to do nothing?"_

 _"Yup!"_

 _"You owe me a date"_

 _"No I don't" Meredith replied_

 _"You asked me to get drinks and then you bailed"_

 _"I said It is two people hanging out and seeing if they like…hanging out"_

 _"Yes, and from the plane, don't you like "hanging out" He persisted_

 _Meredith rolled her eyes," Fine, I will go on a date with you"_

 _"Good"_

 _"But there are rules"_

 _"C'mon" Nathan groaned_

 _"Rule 1: save the compliments_

 _Rule 2: I am not holding your hand_

 _Rule 3: It better be good"_

 _"Whatever am I going to do with you Grey?" She gave him a small push_

 _Meredith just wanted to eat and stay in, but Nathan pushed for a day out. She couldn't admit it but she was actually looking forward to the date among other things. She didn't want to look as if she was trying to hard, so she curled her hair and put on a nice top jeans and boots since Nathan said it would be outdoorsy. She wasn't really a nature person or an outdoorsy person. She was more of a cutting people open person._

 _Wow, was all Nathan thought when he saw Meredith. He'd never seen a person look so good going to the outdoors._

 _Nathan was definitely an outdoorsy type, she thought. Well he looked the part anyway. His hair looking perfect and combed back. Well now she knows her type, a form of a doctor, great hair, and outdoorsy._

 _"Where are we going?"_

 _"Now it wouldn't be a good date if you knew"_

 _Meredith begrudgingly followed Nathan. She liked being in charge, but it was good to be on the opposite side of things. He led her through a small dirt pathway and to her surprise it was a picnic spot with a view of the city. She could see the lights of the passing cars below. The tall buildings balanced the small ones._

 _"The view is amazing, we've only been here for a day, how did you find it?"_

 _"I can't tell you all my secrets now can I?" He teased," Now close your eyes"_

 _"This better not be the part where you drive off and leave me here'_

 _"Now what fun with that be?"_

 _Nathan gently tied a blindfold to Meredith's head._

 _"You can open them."_

 _Nathan handed her a medium sized white box tied with a gold ribbon._

 _Meredith slowly un- tied the bow. She hoped it wasn't chocolate or a stuffed animal, she wasn't that type of girl. The box revealed two ID's to a hospital_

 _"Thank you?"_

 _"It's 2 flights to watch a surgery tomorrow. It's for a hemispherectomy."_

 _"You're kidding me right" Meredith grins_

 _"Nope, they are preforming it in Baltimore. Since we can't come back to Seattle anyways, I figured why not?"_

 _"Thank you, it's not everyday I get to see a surgeon removing half of somebody's brain" Meredith was being sincere. And here she thought she was getting something lame. She might regret this, but she did it anyway. She placed a soft kiss on Nathan's lips. His lips were warm with a lingering taste of scotch from the picnic he packed. She held the kiss a little longer than she should have._

 _"You're doing the thing again" Nathan says_

 _"What thing?"_

 _"With your eyes there's like a sparkle or something."_

 _Meredith knew what it was. It happened when she was flirting, to get guys to do her wish. Oldest trick in the Grey book._

 _Meredith decided to leave him there, wanting more._

 _"Meredith Grey, you are one hell of a tease, you know that."_

 _Meredith whispered into his ear," Am I?" She stepped back and walked back to the car. She could feel his goofy and, annoyingly, charming grin behind her._

 _ **Thank you guys so much for the support it means a lot to me. Feel free to ask questions and i will answer them when I can!**_

 _ **;D**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

 _Meredith opens her eyes to find that Nathan's arms are wrapped on her waist. Her body facing towards the wall with her pressed against him. He was still sleeping, but this time she didn't move away. She was comfortable where she was, unlike her one- night stands, it wasn't awkward. Usually she would get out or make him get out right the morning after. She turned around and curled her fingers around his hair. It was messy in the morning, but it always seemed fixed after he put on the 100 layers of gel. She placed a soft kiss on lips to wake him up._

 _Being the natural flirt his first sentence was, "I was having a really good dream. It was a hot Dr. named Dr. Grey and she was giving a lot more than a consult"_

 _"Well the real Dr. Grey is going to be real angry if you don't get up on time for the hemispherectomy." She whispered_

 _"I'm so tired though"_

 _"You slept the whole night"_

 _"No, I didn't"_

 _"Nothing happened last night…" Meredith confused_

 _"Anybody ever tell you that you snore, just a little"_

 _"Do NOT" Meredith implied_

 _"Yes you do, but I don't mind I find it quite cute"_

 _"Shut up" Meredith threw a pillow at him_

 _"I would also like to do something else besides sleep on a bed" he teased_

 _"You get the sex, when I see the surgery"_

 _"I'll hold you to that. You're lucky I really like you, you know that?" He laughed_

 _Nathan pinned Meredith back on the bed to kiss her again._

 _The two barely made it to the gate on time. Meredith and Nathan were on another plane, but this time the knew that they could depend on each other. Meredith and Nathan sat down in their seats. As the safety message played Meredith did the thing she always does. Take a breath in and out. By the time she opened her eyes they were already up in the air. Meredith never really like the feeling of leaving ground. She looked at Nathan who also looked a little uncomfortable. She gently let her hand hold Nathan's. It calmed her down and for once she settled down._

 _"It's only 4 hours" Nathan tried to calm Meredith_

 _Meredith was sad and had weird feeling. She tried to convince herself that it was being away from her kids. But deep down somewhere she knew their relationship couldn't continue when she would get home. And she hated the fact that she had feelings for him. Feelings that she tried to bury for Maggie. So right then and there she decided on the day she was going back to Seattle, she would act normal. Just colleagues, which he was right, is stuffy. At least until she tells Maggie._

 _The flight is smooth for once and the land perfectly fine. Meredith blushes when she finds that she is still holding on to his hand and immediately takes it away. But it was too late, the goofy grin and resurfaced. It was almost tempting to do it right there and shut him up, but it was a very public place and they weren't a couple. She didn't even know what they were. Testing the waters is a bit of an understatement. She guessed they were dating? But that would mean he could date other people, so no. They were… whatever they are._

 _"See, flight went perfectly" He assured_

 _"That was pure luck"_

 _"Don't you try to see the world in a better way"_

 _"No, I see the reality"_

 _"But isn't the thought that happily ever after could exist, a good thing"_

 _"Happily ever after isn't real, it's actually really messed up"_

 _"Grey you need to lighten up" Nathan points to an older couple in their 80's walking arm in arm having a conversation and laughing_

 _"They look like life just worked out for them" Nathan replied_

 _"In a couple years, he is going to die and she is going to be sad, alone, and a widower. She is going to die alone." Meredith shrugged_

 _"Thank you for being such a light and not all sad and depressing" Nathan said sarcastically_

 _"It's the truth"_

 _Nathan rolled his eyes and continued walking with Meredith. They took a taxi to the medical center._

 _Wow, was the first thing to come to Nathan's mind. The hospital was fairly large and upscale like their own. They were met with a warm smile from a fellow surgeon._

 _"Nathan Riggs in the flesh" The man said giving Nathan on the back._

 _"Daniel Lan, I haven't seen you since Jordan"_

 _"How's Kepner?"_

 _"Good, one of the best trauma surgeons I've worked with"_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive me for Nathan's manners, I'm Daniel, Daniel Lan" He smiled at Meredith_

 _Meredith thought he was a charmer just like his friends_

 _"Meredith Grey ,I've seen your stem cell research" She said taking his handshake._

 _"Really, well I'm honored. I could show you the process in the lab later."_

 _Yup, he was definitely flirting with her. Nathan was a little jealous and here she was doing the sparkling eye thing._

 _"We're actually in a bit of a hurry, here to see the hemispherectomy."_

 _"You know what I can show you to the gallery." He implied, clearly trying to stick around Meredith._

 _Before Nathan could object Meredith agreed._

 _Well this is just going to be lovely, Nathan thought._

 _Daniel led them through the hospital like the map was engraved on his hand. Occasionally, talking about the rare cases he had worked on. The Dr. was also in cardio. He sometimes stopped and flirted with Meredith, her of course, flirting back in front of Nathan. Which all Nathan could do was interrupt. Meredith found it kind of adorable, like he was a puppy that needed attention. As they arrived at the gallery, unfortunately, Nathan was sitting above Meredith as that was the only spot available for him. Meredith sat down and, much to Nathan's dismay, Daniel thanked the man sitting next to Meredith for saving his spot and Daniel sat right next to Meredith. The chairs each shared an armrest and Meredith and Daniels hands would sometimes touch and it made Nathan highly uncomfortable._

 _I am not jealous, Nathan thought, nor should I be._

 _Nathan barely could sit still the entire surgery and when it was over he waited outside of the gallery to see Meredith. He grabbed her arm from the crowd pouring out of the room._

 _"Wasn't that surgery amazing?" Meredith said in awe_

 _"Yeah" Nathan replied. Meredith could sense something was wrong, was he jealous?_

 _He didn't really talk to her until they got out of the hospital and Daniel approached them._

 _"Amazing surgery" He said to Meredith, "Meredith I was wondering, if you're not too busy, would you like to have dinner with me?" He asked_

 _"Thank you, but I actually have plans with Nathan" Meredith smiled and grabbed Nathan's hand._

 _"No problem, goodnight" he waved and left._

 _Nathan smiled at Meredith. "We do?"_

 _"We do…what?" Meredith asked_

 _"You said we have dinner plans which we don't."_

 _"Well to be honest he wasn't really my type anyway" Meredith said calmly trying not to embarrass herself._

 _"Really, what's your type then?"_

 _'Well…you" Meredith looked down, it was really nerve-wracking to say that._

 _Nathan kissed her gently and was trying to play it cool and trying not to have that smile._

 _"There are people here" Meredith whispered_

 _"Nobody from Seattle" He continued to kiss her and she kissed back._

 _"Ok, for tonight I will go along, but I am not talking to you tomorrow until I tell Maggie. I promise that I will tell her the day we get back, ok?"_

 _"Okay" Nathan smiled and took her hand to drive them to go to the airport._

 ** _So that concludes this short story but stay tuned much more other stories coming! Thanks so much for supporting this you guys are the best- YT XOXO_**


End file.
